Break a Leg

J is all into broken legs lately. I'm not sure where it originated, but I think his trip to the ER for an x-ray earlier this summer increased his fascination with the idea.

He also likes to make up songs. One of his song themes is peanut butter. And, interestingly, even in the peanut butter song, someone always ends up breaking a leg, going to the hospital, and getting an x-ray.

Every night before bed I tell him a story. For a long time, it was "The Three Bears." Then for many months it was one of The Little Einsteins episodes. (Yes, I have several episodes I know well enough to quote, music included.) For the last month, however, the request has usually been for "The Quincy Breaks His Leg" story. Now, to the best of my knowledge, there isn't actually an episode where Quincy breaks his leg, but if they're ever looking to add one, they should contact me. I come up with new and creative ways for Quincy to break his leg every night: Tripping down the stairs of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, falling off the Great Wall of China, getting pounced on by a kangaroo in the Australian Outback. . .

So, today we were in a store, and along comes a gentleman in a motorized scooter with his leg in a cast. As he went past J blurted out, "Look, Mommy, that man can't walk!" Loudly enough, of course, for the man and everyone else in the aisle to hear. He's been doing that sort of thing a lot lately: making observations about strangers within their earshot. This one wasn't too embarassing, at least. The worst times have been when he's shouted out, "Mommy, why is that man. . ." when it's actually a heavy-set woman with short hair. Or, "That smells bad!" Or, "Did you see that black baby?"

I decided I'd try to use this one as a little teaching opportunity after tonight's episode of the broken leg story. I tried to explain to him that we shouldn't talk about people in front of them, because it can make them feel bad. He listened, then replied, "But I wasn't in front of him, I was behind him!"

Kids. They're imaginative enough to make up a song about peanut butter and broken legs one minute, then they're so literal the next!